Canadian DJ Ryan Hemsworth and Alex G. get together on “Too Long Here”
A collaboration between lo-fi musician Alex G and Canadian electronic artist Ryan Hemsworth may be the strangest thing to hear about. But Hemsworth has a clear interest in indie artists, like New Zealand’s Lontalius. For the bedroom-recording Alex G, on the other hand, this is a step into something completely new. The collaborative album, Alone for the First Time, was released in November 2014 and featured Philly native Alex G, Lontalius, and Chicago’s Dawn Golden.
The track opens with a piano solo, and goes right into Alex G’s distinct vocals over some serious hints of drum and bass. The 22-year-old lo-fi artist’s vocals are unusually prominent in this track, which is also new territory for him.
A new video released this week fits the creepy vibes the song gives off with its haunting bells over a darkening bass line. Directed by Alex Girav, features a teenage girl incessantly taking selfies on her phone while traveling throughout a city. There appears to be some underlying metaphor in which doppelgangers of the girl appear. She follows her look-a-likes into an abandoned building to find them performing a candlelit ritual to her selfies. A pretty spooky turn of events, but nothing out of the ordinary in the realm of Alex G.
Hemsworth is hitting up a European tour next month; meanwhile, Alex G. will be playing a sold out showwith Teen Suicide and Girlpool at PhilaMOCA on Feb. 3. Check out the video below.